Radio Listening

U.S. Senate: Patty Wetterling

SNAPSHOT Patty Wetterling dropped out of the Senate race on January 20, 2006, throwing her support behind DFLer Amy Klobuchar in the process. Wetterling lost her initial attempt at
elective politics in November 2004 when she was beaten by incumbent 6th District
Rep. Mark Kennedy 54-to-46 percent. Should she survive a Democratic primary,
she may be facing Kennedy again, this time for the Senate seat being vacated
by Sen. Mark Dayton.

Up until 2004, Wetterling was been a reluctant celebrity, dragged into the
spotlight 15 years ago when her 11-year-old son, Jacob, was abducted at gunpoint
by a masked man. Jacob has never been found. Now a high-profile expert on
child abuse and abduction issues, she's known for working amicably with both
sides of the political aisle.

She's a former math teacher, soccer coach and Parent
Teacher Association president. For 23 years, she served on the board of a
local arts festival.

Candidate Bio

Political affiliation:DFL Party

Born:November 2, 1949
Omaha, NE.

Personal:Married (Jerry). Four children (Trevor,
Carmen, Amy. Son, Jacob was abducted in 1989 and has not been found.
Resides in St. Joseph.

Links and Resources

Candidate Pages

The candidates for Minnesota's U.S. Senate seat sparred over agriculture policy today at Farmfest near Redwood Falls. Republican Mark Kennedy and Democrat Amy Klobuchar both said it may be a good idea to extend current federal agriculture programs instead of writing a new farm bill next year. They disagreed over which one is the true friend of the farmer.
(08/01/2006)

Two of the candidates running for Minnesota's open U.S. Senate seat are on the air with television ads. Republican Mark Kennedy hit the airwaves Tuesday with an ad touting his background. His DFL opponent, Amy Klobuchar, focuses her ads more on her experience as a prosecutor.
(07/25/2006)

President Bush vetoed a bill Wednesday that would expand federal research on stem cells obtained from embryos. The issue could also play a role in the November election, since two of the U.S. Senate candidates in Minnesota differ on the issue.
(07/19/2006)

Ford Bell has dropped out of the race for U.S. Senate. Bell, a DFLer, intended to challenge Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar in the September primary. But he says difficulty raising money led to his withdrawal.
(07/11/2006)

The DFL-endorsed candidates for U.S. Senate and governor say they're focusing on the November general election, and the Republicans running in the race. But Amy Klobuchar and Mike Hatch must first get through the September primary, and both face primary challengers who claim to have stronger positions on the issues.
(07/05/2006)

Seizing on a seemingly endless string of
Washington scandals in recent months, both of Minnesota's leading
U.S. Senate candidates are trying to make congressional ethics an
issue in their hotly contested race.
(06/29/2006)

Amy Klobuchar, who won the DFL Party's endorsement for the U.S. Senate race, will face Republican Rep. Mark Kennedy in November. Klobuchar is currently the Hennepin County attorney. She discusses the upcoming campaign on Midday.
(Midday,
06/12/2006)

Klobuchar easily won the backing of the vast majoirity of delegates to the state DFL convention underway this weekend in Rochester, winning on the first ballot with 78 percent of the vote.
(06/09/2006)

Promising to bring Minnesota values to
Washington, U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy on Thursday night secured the
Republican endorsement as its 2006 candidate for the U.S. Senate. Kennedy's endorsement capped the first night of the state
Republican convention at the Minneapolis Convention center.
(06/01/2006)

Minnesota Republicans begin their state convention Thursday night in Minneapolis. The main order of business on the first night is to endorse a candidate for U.S. Senate. There's no surprise who that will be -- U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy, who has had the endorsement locked up for months.
(06/01/2006)